


Deliverance

by yersifanel



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Coda, Invasion! Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe), M/M, Protective Oliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 01:29:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8729338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yersifanel/pseuds/yersifanel
Summary: Oliver is not going surrender Barry. It's not an option, is just not.





	

"No." 

Oliver's tone is firm, imposing, taking a stance in the silence that was left after the Dominators message was laid out before them. Their demand for Barry to surrender in exchange of their Earth's safety. The decision could have seem as simple except or the fact that it wasn't and Oliver was not going to send Barry to a fate worse than dead just because a man in a black suit said so. 

"Ollie…" 

Barry looked at him helplessly, but not because he was asking for help, of course he wasn't. Ever since the team got together Barry has only been receiving their contempt, not even fighting things he could not control or foreseen, just accepting the guilt that everyone was quick to remind him he deserve, not even trying to see the full picture. 

"I'm not letting you kill yourself," he hissed, not hiding his boiling anger at the mere idea of this supposed deal made by an uncaring man in a business attire. 

Until now, Oliver had been coaching Barry into leadership, because he knew the speedster was more than capable, but required some direction, some guidance. He was happy to provide, as Barry got the right intentions and ideas. He got the team together, he was quick to respond to the danger and even brought an asset from another world for support. 

 _His friend, Kara is his friend and you are being unfair to her._  

He shook his head. _That_ was another problem he will deal with soon, it was more about _himself_ and less about _Kara_ anyway. Her heart and head were in the right place, Oliver's wasn't, especially not after being in a dream prison imposed in his head by the Dominators. 

 _One issue at the time, priorities Queen. Barry's life goes first._  

"This makes no sense," Ray was pacing as he talked, a deep frown in his face, "Barry, even if you changed the timeline and reset it, that can't be the reason the Dominators are after you, how can it be? You didn’t even know they existed!" 

Barry shook his head, unsure of what to say. This whole time travel, time resetting, time adjusting debacle was something Oliver couldn't explain and that irritated him, but more than that, it infuriated him that he couldn't help solve. Barry needed help and he couldn't give it in that field. 

But this? Not letting Barry hand himself over like some sacrifice? That he could do. 

"It's just," Barry took a deep breath, "What I did is messing with the course of time itself, I don't know how they know it was my doing, but they clearly see it as a threat." 

"And what?" Oliver was not modulating his voice by now, "They will leave us alone and what about you? They will trap you in one of those damn pods? Torture you? Use you to who knows what? They don’t want you dead, they want to do something else." 

"I don't know." 

He was acting so brave. Oliver could see how he was carrying himself, putting the world before himself, not an ounce of doubt of how this what was must had to be done. But it was superficial, Oliver knew Barry, he knew that shine in his eyes, not present now because it was clouded by fear. Barry was scared of what exactly will happen if the Dominators get what they want, if they get him.

Oliver just voice what Barry probably had been thinking, a life, long of short, ahead of him filled with pain and a fate worse than dead, perhaps. 

"It's not up for debate," Barry's voice continue to be firm, but there was resignation all over it. "It's not about me, it's about everyone else."

 _It's never about you_ , Oliver gritted his teeth. _And when it is, something goes wrong, why does it have to be like that? Then you have to give it up, give up on caring about yourself, to make it about others, because that's who you are, young, bold, caring… even saving your parents, you had to give that life up, and you did it, and now you are here, losing bits and pieces of yourself every day… because the world seems to think it can never be about yourself._

"No," Oliver repeated, a little more heated this time, "We will find another way."

Barry smiled at him, shaking his head. Oliver was trying to save him and he recognized that, appreciated that, but he was not accepting it, because the world was first, as that what heroes do.

 _I'm not letting you do this_ , he thought, _I'm not._

And he didn’t, as well as everyone else. Even Cisco who had been noticeable displeased with Barry wouldn't let him be a sacrifice. There was a conflict there, one that still required time and space, but at least there were moving towards an understanding, _some progress_ , Oliver knew how much both need it.

They fought, all of them for the world and Oliver for it and for Barry, because even after the younger man was not going to serve himself in a plate for those hostile creatures, nobody could assure him that they won't try to take him anyway.

When he was falling from the building, he was not afraid of dying but falling. 

 _They will get Barry_ , he thought. _Please don't let it happen_. 

Kara – _sweet Kara that reminded him too much of Barry_ – was the one coming to his rescue. He understood then, normalcy was not something he had in his life and that was fine, because he had this, his friends, his team, _Barry_.

They saved the world. And they – _He_ – didn't have to sacrifice Barry to do so.

He already gave up Laurel and his parents hours ago, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself losing Barry too, in such short amount of time. Because even if Laurel had been gone for months now, his parents for years, he gave them up in a dream, a gift, just hours ago, losing them all over again.

The mere idea of losing Barry to a bunch of aliens didn't sit well with him.

Celebrations happened and recognitions were given, and if Oliver's fingers travel to Barry's pulse more often than not, the younger man didn't comment, he just let Oliver find reassurance in the fact that he was there and his heart was beating.

When it was just the two of them at the bar, Oliver place his hand in the juncture of Barry's neck and shoulder, his thump firmly pressed against Barry's pulse point.

"You can't do that," he said, too emotional for his own liking, too _vulnerable_. "The world needs you alive and well, Barry."

_I need you alive and well._

"I wasn't fond of the idea myself," he confessed, his eyes glassy. "But at the moment seemed like the only way, it was my mistake, my responsibility." 

"Barry, aliens invading earth was _not_ your mistake," he hissed, because him created Flashpoint might had been a ripple effect, but it was the aliens who decided to attack and no one would convince Oliver that everything was Barry's fault because it wasn't, no matter how angry anyone could be, no matter how much anyone was looking for someone to blame. "I told you, you are not a _god_." 

He had powers, he was more than human, and he could make _things_ happen that no regular human could but still he was not a _god_. 

Before that, a year ago, Barry had travel back in time and _saved_ everyone from Vandal Savage, nobody complained then. But the one time he made a choice out of grief, everything turned out of control, even after getting things back to how the were supposed to be, because apparently he couldn't catch a break and it was not fair. 

"You didn't kill Cisco's brother, you didn't gave Caitlin powers, and you didn't blink out of existence Digg's daughter." 

"But I _did_ ," Barry whispered and he was smiling, it was broken and the shard almost cut him, "Not directly, not by my own hand, but I…" he sighed, "I gave _chance_ an aperture for it to happen." 

Barry frowns, as if thinking how that works and Oliver stares at him before talking, "You can't control _chance_ Barry," he reminds him. "It's done, you made a mistake, consequences happened, they will probably still keep on happening and you will face them and learn from it, it won’t be easy, it won’t be painless, it _already_ isn't painless, but you will _learn_." 

Oliver pressed harder against Barry's pulse point and gets up, one arm around Barry's to guide him up and away from the crowd, outside the bar and into a private place where he hugs Barry, against him, letting the younger man rest his head against Oliver's shoulder, shaking with emotion. 

"I got you," Oliver has one hand around Barry's waist, the other over the back of his head, "I got you." 

How many times would Oliver have to safe Barry from himself? _As many as necessary_ , his mind supplied, because there would always be one more, as it was in Barry's nature to put others first, and while it was an admirable trail, it was also something that scared Oliver to no end. 

"I'm here," he repeated, for Barry and for himself, feeling calm and at peace when Barry hugged his harder, pressed his face closer and breathed with less pain. 

"Thank you, Ollie…" his voice was a whisper, but it was there, real, alive and besides him. 

He pressed a kiss to the side of Barry's face, and closed his eyes.


End file.
